HBO Max's Batgirl is looking to cast a trans Asian American woman. The Barbara Gordon incarnation of Batgirl was introduced in 1961 as the daughter of the Gotham City Police Department Commissioner, Jim Gordon. Over the years, Barbara has made quite a few live-action appearances. In 1966, the character appeared in Adam West's Batman TV series, where she was portrayed by actress Yvonne Craig. Later, Alicia Silverstone also played the role in Joel Schumacher's 1997 Batman & Robin film, but that movie wasn't as popular. Now, Barbara is finally getting her chance under unaccompanied spotlight, as a solo film about the character is in development at HBO Max.
Originally, Batgirl was being written, directed, and produced by Joss Whedon. But he withdrew from the project in 2018, saying that he couldn't come up with a story for the movie. Once he left, WB and DC Films got The Flash writer Christina Hudson to come up with a new script, at the same time enlisting Bad Boys for Life directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, to helm the film. Then, after an extensive search and meticulous shortlisting, In The Heights actress Leslie Grace was cast as the lead in July 2021. This week, Batgirl also added The Outpost's Jacob Scipio in an undisclosed role, and now the film is on its way to round out its supporting cast.
As per a new casting call that has emerged on Cast It Talent, Batgirl is looking for an actor to play a mid-20s Asian American trans woman called Alanna. The description listed in the posting matches closely with that of the DC Comics character Alysia Yeoh, indicating that the Barbara Gordon ally will show up in Batgirl. Additionally, Batgirl is also looking for an actor to play a younger version of the character, which further points to the incorporation of multiple timelines or flashback sequences in the new movie.
Hailed as one of the first major trans characters to appear in mainstream comics, Alysia Yeoh was created by Gail Simone and Ardian Syaf for Batgirl (vol. 4) #1 in 2011. An aspiring chef, Alysia becomes Barbara's roommate after the latter moves out of her dad's house. Alysia briefly dates Barbara's brother, but James, after finding out about his psychotic behavior, she leaves him and becomes an ally to Barbara. In the comics, Barbara chooses not to reveal her true identity to Alysia for her own safety. Still, the two remain friends, and Barbara even turns up as the maid of honor during Alysia's wedding with Jo, a female environmental activist.
Since Batgirl is being described as a dark origin story for Barbara, it makes sense for the movie to include those characters that the protagonist encountered early on in her career as a vigilante. Alysia, for one, is a fan-favorite character from the comics, and her addition to the movie elevates the diversity in Batgirl. At the moment, it's not fully confirmed if she is the character that the movie is hiring talent for, but the character description does seem to point in that direction, and Alanna also seems to be a clever placeholder name. Right now, Batgirl is due to begin filming next month, so fans should be on the lookout for a potential casting announcement that may drop anytime.
Source: Cast It Talent
